Setting up new echo show 8 for my 94 yr old mom

[draker]

Hi forum!
I’m a new y to this forum and to the Alexa world. I recently purchased a new echo show 8 for my 94 yr old, totally non-tech savvy mom, hoping to engage her with the extended family using video calls, allow her to enjoy some streaming audio shows she enjoys but are no longer on radio, and adding some aids for her increasing dementia.
I’m having difficulty setting up the calling capabilities (both video and audio). Since she doesn’t have a cell phone (only a landline), I’m trying to get her a phone number unique to her device so that the family can call her. Does she even need a phone number?  If calls are made Alexa- alexa, can the family call her device simply by using their Alexa app on their phone and telling it to call her device by name? 
Sorry for my ivnirznce in the Alexa world! 
Thanks for your help!
Rick Drake

[jwlv]

Alexa to Alexa calls or drop-ins do not require a phone number.

Unless you actually want to have Alexa make and receive phone calls, you don't need a phone number at all. You do need a smartphone to set up the Alexa initially and also to change certain settings afterwards.

Be careful if you do set up an Echo device and allow it to use your smartphone's phone number. Anyone that calls your phone number will also ring on the Echo device. I'm pretty sure you don't want your 94 year old mother answering all your calls. Also if you give it permission to read your contact list from your smartphone, all those contacts will be known to the Echo device.

[draker]

Thanks  jwlv for your helpful reply. You are correct, I don’t want my phone calls answered by my mom being that her device will ring every time I get a cell call! 
I’ll remove my cell number from her device. Is that done by rebooting it?, by restoring it to factory settings- basically wiping her settings clean and starting all over?  Must her new device have an associated phone number in her set up? 
Thanks again.
Rick.